There is a lot of encouragement for people to get out and walk. It is a simple, effective and free way to get fitter, toner and lose some weight. People found during their outside hours that they enjoyed walking.
However, it is pretty easy to lose focus when out for a walk. You can become distracted by the area you are walking in, see a friend to chat or just enjoy sitting, having a coffee and watching the world go round. However nice and good these are for your mental health, walking at this pace will not achieve any weight or fitness goals.
An alternative to consider is using a treadmill. Most gyms have a variety of treadmills, and instructors are available to coach you in the correct use for your goals. In addition, today’s treadmills are neater, lighter and more compact, and you can fit one in your home or home gym.
For home or commercial gym use, talk with the experts—like Gym Gear—to ensure you purchase the right treadmill for the use it will get. For example, you can buy treadmills that can carry high weights or for those who need more support while using the treadmills. You can even purchase motorless treadmills that the user powers.
Benefits Of A Cardio Workout On A Treadmill
The bottom line about using a treadmill is that it will burn calories and help you lose weight when used regularly and correctly. There are other benefits to add to that. These include,
- Improving endurance
- Strengthening muscles
- Decreasing fatigue
- Decreasing joint stiffness
- Increasing energy levels
- Improving memory and cognition
- Protecting against Alzheimer’s
- Controlling blood sugar
- Increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels
- Boosting your immune system
- Improving sexual arousal
- Promoting healthier skin
- Promoting better sleep
- Relieving stress and anxiety
These are some of the benefits there to be gained from using a treadmill. Another bonus of a treadmill is that unlike being outdoors, it does not matter what the weather is like. So you can still use your equipment at home or the gym.
So, excited to get using a treadmill? Let’s first look at three optional uses you can employ to lose weight and get fit on a treadmill.
1: Changing Your Routine
Doing the same daily routine is boring, and the danger of boredom is losing your motivation. Changing your routine also reduces your risk of injury. Repeatedly doing the same workout can stress your joints, increasing the risk of overuse injury. Avoiding a training plateau is another reason to change your routine. Doing the same workout does not challenge your body, and you could see any results getting less. Carry on reading for some suggestions for routines below.
2: Walk The Hills
Not suggesting your try an Everest-sized incline, but even a slight incline will burn more calories. You can walk, jog or run, always staying within your fitness perimeter. In addition, adding an incline to your routine sees you building more lean muscle mass. Remember, muscle burns more calories than fat.
3: HIIT
High-Intensity Impact Training is a great way to quickly reduce body fat and burn calories. The basis of HIIT is to work harder than usual and then take a short rest. Alongside burning calories and losing weight after doing HIIT exercises, your body will try and return to normal by metabolising even more body fat.
Suggestions For Different Treadmill Training Routines
If you are starting your fitness and weight-loss adventure, remember to talk with your doctor and follow his advice. Arrange to speak with a trainer before you start to use the treadmill. They will help in setting achievable goals for yourself. Do this throughout your training to ensure you work at your best.
A Simple, Balanced Exercise Routine
- Sunday
- Rest
- Take a leisurely walk
- Yoga or stretching exercises.
- Monday
- Use the treadmill for a HIIT routine for 20 – 30 minutes
- Tuesday
- Light treadmill walk or jog
- Strength training
- Wednesday
- Rest
- Take a leisurely walk
- Yoga or stretching exercises
- Thursday
- Light treadmill jog 20 – 30 mins
- Strength training
- Friday
- Perform a HIIT routine on the treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes
- Saturday
- Favourite exercise class
Beginners LIIT – Low Impact Intensity Training Routine
For beginners, this is a great way to introduce a change of routine to reach your fitness and weight-loss goals.
- To warm up, set your treadmill at a flat incline walk at 3 km/hr
- Begin to increase your speed to a comfortable level – around 6-8 km/hr. Experiment to know what works best for you.
- Fast walk, run or jog for 20-30 mins
- Decrease your speed back down to 3km/hr to cool down
HIIT Routine
Before moving on to these exercises, chat with a trainer. You can adapt your HIIT routines to suit your goals by increasing or decreasing the timings of the sets.
- Start with a flat incline on your treadmill. Walk for 3-4 km/h for 5 minutes to warm up
- You then need to increase the speed to 15-16 km/h and run for 30-45 seconds
- Then drop the speed to 5-6 km/h and rest for 30-60 seconds
- Continue with the run/walk sequence 5-8 times
- Remember to spend 5 mins colling down by walking at 3-4 km/hr
Alternative Incline Routine
- Start with a flat incline on your treadmill. Walk for 3-4 km/h for 5 minutes to warm up
- Begin to Increase the incline by 1%. At the same time, increase to a jogging pace for 1 minute
- Then increase the incline by 1% again
- Continue doing this until you reach the treadmill’s maximum incline. You may need to start walking, and that’s okay!
- At maximum incline, run or walk for 1 minute, then decrease the incline by 2%
- Continue reducing the incline by 2% every minute until you’re back running on a flat incline
- Once flat on the treadmill, decrease the speed and walk at 2 km/h to cool down
If you have any further questions on types of a treadmill, please get in touch with a member of our team.